Entries by Lisa McDonald

Historic victory for human rights: DC mayor signs child marriage ban into law   

March 26, 2025 in , , /by

March, 26, 2025: Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) celebrates the successful passage of the Child Marriage Prohibition Amendment Act of 2024, following the 30-day congressional review period and the signing of the legislation by Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser. This landmark law, introduced by Councilmember Brooke Pinto, now officially prohibits marriage under the age of 18 in the District of Columbia, with no exceptions.    

Advocacy groups urge the eighth circuit to uphold FTC’s click to cancel rule

March 25, 2025 in , /by

March 25, 2025: Washington, DC — On Friday, The National Consumers League (NCL) and four other advocacy groups joined a legal “friend of the court” brief in litigation seeking to undo the Federal Trade Commission’s popular “Click to Cancel” Rule. The brief was drafted by the Center for Consumer Law & Economic Justice at UC Berkeley School of Law and focuses on the substantial record of manipulative subscription traps relied on by the FTC in crafting the Rule. 

Consumer warning: is your DNA data at risk? 23andMe on the brink of bankruptcy

March 25, 2025 in , /by

March 25, 2025: Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) is issuing an urgent warning to consumers regarding the recent bankruptcy filing by 23andMe, the popular genetic information company. While 23andMe claims that consumer data will be protected during the bankruptcy process, there are significant concerns about the future of your personal genetic data and health information.   

Trump administration’s decision to freeze electric vehicle infrastructure program: Consumers will pay the price 

March 21, 2025 in /by

March 21, 2025: The National Consumers League (NCL) is alarmed by the Trump administration’s recent decision to freeze a vital program designed to expand electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure and support clean energy initiatives across the country. The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, created under the Biden administration, allocates nearly $5 billion to assist states in developing a national network of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations along designated alternative fuel corridors.  

Advocates: Congress must step up and demand answers on attempted FTC firings 

March 21, 2025 in , /by

March 21, 2025: Washington, DC — Today, the National Consumers League and 24 other public interest organizations urged leaders of the House Energy and Commerce and Senate Commerce committees to investigate President Trump’s attempt to fire half of the commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission. The groups also urged the Senate to freeze President Trump’s nomination of Mark Meador to be the newest commissioner at the FTC until Commissioners Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Slaughter regain full and permanent access to their Senate-confirmed positions. 

NCL applauds West Virginia lawmakers for food dye/additives ban bill 

March 19, 2025 in , , /by

March 19, 2025: Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) applauds West Virginia lawmakers for the passage of House Bill 2354. This bipartisan legislation amends the State Code regarding adulterated food and drugs, banning harmful food additives and dyes in processed food products sold in the state. Among the banned substances are Red Dye No. 3, Yellow Dye No. 5, Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Propylparaben, Red Dye No. 40, Yellow Dye No. 6, Blue Dye No. 1, Blue Dye No. 2, and Green Dye No. 3 – all deemed unsafe for consumption. 

NCL condemns illegal firings of FTC commissioners 

March 18, 2025 in , , , , , /by

March 18, 2025 “Consumer protection work is not a partisan game,” said NCL Vice President of Public Policy, Telecommunications, and Fraud John Breyault. “With consumers losing more than $150 billion to fraud each year, we need consistent and reliable watchdogs at our law enforcement agencies. The firing of dedicated public servants because they belong to the wrong political party will make the FTC’s work even harder. NCL unequivocally condemns these firings.”

New legislation to protect fraud victims from tax penalties 

March 17, 2025 in , , /by

March 21, 2025: Washington, DC – The National Consumers League (NCL) is appreciative of Representative Haley Stevens’s (D-MI) proposed legislation designed to protect fraud victims from being unfairly taxed when they are forced to tap into their 401(k)s early due to fraudulent schemes. Fraud prevention and consumer protection are central to NCL’s mission, and we strongly support this critical step in ensuring that fraud victims are not penalized further. 

NCL sounds alarm over measles outbreak, calls for stronger immunization leadership

March 13, 2025 in , , /by

March 13, 2025: Washington, DC — As of this week, there are a total of 223 cases of measles in western Texas, and it is spreading to neighboring counties in New Mexico and Oklahoma. Yet, recently confirmed Secretary of U.S. Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy is not actively pushing for Americans to get immunized. The National Consumers League (NCL) stands firmly on the side of science and evidence-based medicine.  In February, we expressed concern over his appointment, and now we are witnessing the significant risk to Americans’ health and well-being we previously stated. 

NCL opposes effort to shutter ED and defund education 

March 12, 2025 in , , /by

March 12, 2025: Last night, the Trump Administration began firing almost half of the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) staff and kicked employees out of the DC office. President Trump and Education Secretary McMahon have made clear that this is only the beginning of their efforts to shut down ED entirely. With these most recent firings, ED is down to approximately 2,000 employees to handle a massive portfolio that includes administering billions of dollars in funding for rural and low-income public schools across the nation.